<!doctype html public "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd">
<html>
<head>
  <title>BBC NEWS | Health | US HIV rate 'higher than thought'</title>
  <meta name="keywords" content="BBC, News, BBC News, news online, world, uk, international, foreign, british, online, service">
  <meta name="OriginalPublicationDate" content="2008/08/03 03:13:57">
  <meta name="UKFS_URL" content="/1/hi/health/7539267.stm">
  <meta name="IFS_URL" content="/2/hi/health/7539267.stm">
  <meta name="ROBOTS" content="NOARCHIVE">
  <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1">
  <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="/shared/css/printthispage.css">
</head>
<body bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000" topmargin="0" leftmargin="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0">
<div class="logo">
  <img src="/nol/shared/img/printer_friendly/news_logo.gif" width="163" height="34" alt="BBC NEWS">
</div>
<div class="headline">
  US HIV rate 'higher than thought'
</div>




  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      <b>
    	  
  	
    
      The number of Americans infected with the HIV virus each year is much higher than current government estimates, US health officials have said.
    	  
  	
    
      </b>
    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said 56,000 people had become infected with the virus that causes Aids in 2006.

    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      That is substantially more than the earlier annual estimate of 40,000.

    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      However, the CDC said the rise was due to improved detection methods, rather than an increase in infections.

    	  
  	
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    <div class="bo">	
  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      For the first time, new blood tests can tell how recently an HIV infection occurred, allowing researchers to pinpoint the year it happened.

    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      The increase is also thought to be due to new statistical methods.

    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
  
    </div>	
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
    <div class="ibox">
    
    
  
  	
    
      <table >
    	  
  	
    
      <tr>
    	  
  	
    
      <td width="5">
    	  
  	
    
      </td>
    	  
  	
    
      <td class="fact">
    	  
  	
    
      <div class="sih">
    	  
  	
    
      
			                            HIV/AIDS IN THE US
			                        
    	  
  	
    
      </div>
    	  
  	
    
      <!--Smva-->
    	  
  	
    
      <div class="bull">
    	  
  	
    
      1.1 million people with HIV/Aids at end 2003
    	  
  	
    
      </div>
    	  
  	
    
      <div class="bull">
    	  
  	
    
      24%-27% unaware of being infected
    	  
  	
    
      </div>
    	  
  	
    
      <div class="bull">
    	  
  	
    
      56,000 new cases in 2006
    	  
  	
    
      </div>
    	  
  	
    
      <div class="bull">
    	  
  	
    
      53% of new infections in 2006 occurred in gay and bisexual men
    	  
  	
    
      </div>
    	  
  	
    
      <div class="bull">
    	  
  	
    
      African American men and women were also strongly affected
    	  
  	
    
      </div>
    	  
  	
    
      <!--Emva-->
    	  
  	
    
      <!--Smva-->
    	  
  	
    
      <i>
    	  
  	
    
      Source: CDC
    	  
  	
    
      </i>
    	  
  	
    
      <!--Emva-->
    	  
  	
    
      <!--So-->
    	  
  	
    
      <br />
    	  
  	
    
      <!--Eo-->
    	  
  	
    
      <!--Smiiib-->
    	  
  	
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  	
    
      </td>
    	  
  	
    
      </tr>
    	  
  	
    
      </table>
    	  
  	
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    </div>
  
  
    <div class="bo">	
  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      The CDC's Richard Wolitski said the 2006 incidence estimate "reveals that the epidemic is, and has been, worse than previously estimated".

    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      The group added that the annual number of new infections was never as low as 40,000, and that it has been roughly stable since the late 1990s.

    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      The CDC described the findings as a "wake-up call that the US HIV/Aids epidemic is far from over".

    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      "The new estimates underscore the need to expand access to HIV prevention to gay and bisexual men, especially younger men, and to expand access to African-American men and women as well," Dr Wolitski added.

    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      The executive director of the National Alliance of State and Territorial Aids Directors, Julie Scofield, told the Associated Press news agency: "This is the biggest news for public health and HIV/Aids that we've had in a while."

    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      The revised estimated and the methodology behind it are due to be presented at the opening of an international Aids conference in Mexico City on Sunday.

    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      Ahead of the meeting, thousands of activists marched through the city to protest at discrimination against people with HIV.

    	  
  	
  
    </div>	
  



<div class="footer">
Story from BBC NEWS:<br>
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/7539267.stm<br>
<br>
Published: 2008/08/03 03:13:57 GMT<br>
<br>
&copy; BBC MMVIII<br>
</div>
</body>
</html>
